Laparoscopic, endoscopic, and other minimally invasive surgical techniques enable surgeons to perform fairly complicated procedures through relatively small entry points in the body. The term “laparoscopic” refers to surgical procedures performed on the interior of the abdomen, while the term “endoscopic” refers more generally to procedures performed in any portion of the body. Endoscopic surgery involves the use of an endoscope, which is an instrument permitting the visual inspection and magnification of a body cavity. The endoscope is inserted into a body cavity through a cannula extending through a hole in the soft tissue protecting the body cavity. The hole is made with a trocar, which includes a cutting instrument slidably and removably disposed within a trocar cannula. After forming the hole, the cutting instrument can be withdrawn from the trocar cannula. A surgeon can then perform diagnostic and/or therapeutic procedures at the surgical site with the aid of specialized medical instruments adapted to fit through the trocar cannula.
Some known advantages of minimally invasive surgical techniques include reduced trauma to the patient, reduced likelihood of infection at the surgical site, and lower overall medical costs. Accordingly, minimally invasive surgical techniques are being applied to an increasingly wider array of medical procedures.
Surgical procedures often involve using sutures to hold tissue together while the tissue heals. Tension is applied to the suture to pull the tissue together and the suture is secured by tying the free ends of the suture to form a knot. The knotted ends prevent the suture from prematurely coming free from the suture site. However, once the ends of a suture are knotted, it has proven difficult to adjust the tension of the suture without removing the knot, such as by cutting the suture. Moreover, suturing internal tissue during minimally invasive procedures can prove challenging due to the limited amount of space available to perform the rather complex manipulations required to knot the suture.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide a mechanism to secure the free ends of a suture while maintaining a desired amount of tension on the suture.